Last week, arguably the most shocking NBA trade in history occurred between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks, sending superstar Luka Dončić to join LeBron James in LA in exchange for Anthony Davis. This blockbuster move went down around midnight on Saturday, leading to some interesting reactions from Davidson students at Ryburn and Armfield.
Basketball fan Buddy Shooping ‘26 described the scene. “Somebody got a call and broke the news to everyone […] nobody believed it at first. I mean, Luka to the Lakers? That trade wouldn’t even be accepted in NBA 2K. But then everyone started checking their phones. We saw the ESPN alerts, Twitter posts, and chaos ensued,” Shopping stated.
“I saw someone drop their beer and immediately fall to their knees,” one confused student described. “I assumed they got a rejection letter from a job. A sports trade can’t be that deep?”
Duncan Daball ‘28 commented on the energy. “It was crazy. People were arguing, hugging and crying. People started calling their parents, their siblings, their therapists. I saw someone rush to bet on the Lakers winning the title before the odds updated.”
“Random people were coming up to me asking, ‘Yo, did you hear?’ It felt like we had some sort of camaraderie, like we were all collectively dealing with a BS Humes reading.” Another student emphasized, “It’s like one of those flashbulb memories where you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news. I’m going to be telling my grandkids about this.”
The next morning, I overheard a group of people discussing the trade in the library. “I can’t even do my work right now. It feels like the Big Bang all over again,” junior Ally Whoop ‘26 said. Sports fans were also attempting to explain the significance of the trade to their friends. “It’s like if we traded Presidents. […] That just doesn’t happen,” said one student, who actually wishes it was an option to trade our president.
A Mavericks fan exclaimed that it felt like it was the day after the meteor hit the earth, and that he was a dinosaur. One locked-in student was getting sick of the sports talk and implored their friends to stop talking, to which another retorted, “Wouldn’t you be talking about World War II if it had just ended?” (Yes, this is an actual quote. The student also referred to this trade as an “Assassination of Franz Ferdinand” moment).
So, who won the trade?
The Mavericks gain an All-Defensive big man in Anthony Davis, 31, pairing him alongside guards Kyrie Irving, 32, and Klay Thompson, 35. “That line up would have been really good like, five years ago,” said sophomore Will Eipass ‘27. A neutral NBA fan claimed, “Anthony Davis is washed. His only accomplishment is the Mickey Mouse ring [the 2020 NBA Championship]. My grandma has stronger bones than he does, and she’s dead!” [Editors’ Note: This aged well… Anthony Davis suffered a non-contact injury in his first game as a Maverick and is out indefinitely.]
On the other hand, the Lakers gain one of the most promising superstars in the league, but also give up their strongest big man. “I’m happy we got Luka, but when I said we needed more size, that’s not what I meant!” [Another editor’s note: Mavericks Front Office cited concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and weight in their justification to trade him.]
No matter where you look, there’s confused and divisive reactions everywhere. “Why go for Luka? If I were the Lakers, I would’ve gone for Stephen Curry and saved him from the Warriors and their sinking ship!” said a Davidson graduate with NBA ties who asked to remain anonymous.
There’s only one question that remains: how will this impact LeBron’s legacy?